secretstalks
One of the most important and secret documents in the country, India’s budget blueprint, is still remarkably private, with almost no leaks ever being publicized. The nation is extremely proud of its capacity to protect these important records, which is evidence of the sophisticated security protocols in place.
Describes in detail how the Union Budget is protected and kept almost completely leak-proof.
Before the budget presentation, there was a noticeable increase in security surrounding the Finance Ministry. The hallways of the Finance Ministry are patrolled by members of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for fifteen days before the Finance Minister presents the budget in Parliament. To prevent unauthorized access, CISF officers are posted outside important offices, such as those of the Finance Minister, Finance Secretary, and other high-ranking officials.
Plainclothes IB officials keep a close eye on everything going on within the ministry and patrol the grounds as well. Only a limited number of officials, including the Finance Minister, have access to the budget drafts, which are kept completely confidential.
The budget process’s digitization has further improved security by lowering the quantity of printed copies.
Entry to the Finance Ministry is restricted 15 days before the budget presentation, and visitors are subject to stringent scrutiny. The CISF keeps watch over and prohibits access to the offices where budget talks take place.
A Week Before A Restricted Area
The Finance Ministry turns into an off-limits area as the budget presentation gets closer. The details of the budget are known only to personnel ranking at least as high as the Joint Secretary. The last-minute assembly of the budget takes place the day before it is introduced in Parliament.
The President, the Vice President, the Cabinet, and the Parliament table are among the few people who receive copies of the budget. Call logs, visitor logs, and staff and official movements are all under review. The administration is aware of the possible long-term effects of a budget leak, including what would happen to markets and business tactics. Tieing up all the loose ends is crucial.
Budget Printing: A Confidential Process
The process of printing the budget is extremely secretive and has a track record of leaks. Finance ministers have resigned before as a result of budget leaks. For example, shortly before Union Finance Minister Sir RK Shanmukham Chetty’s 1947–1948 maiden Budget address, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Hugh Dalton gave a journalist insider information about planned tax reforms.
The journalist and the then-finance minister had a chat that led to the budget’s contents being made public before its introduction in Parliament. This created a huge commotion and resulted in Dalton’s resignation.
Similar circumstances led to the leakage of a portion of the Union Budget in 1950 when printing problems at Rashtrapati Bhawan occurred. After that, printing was relocated to a government press on Minto Road, and it has been done there ever since 1980. Currently, printing is done at the Secretariat Building’s basement in Delhi’s North Block.
The widespread demonstrations against the vast powers of the old Planning Commission that followed this budget leak forced Matthai, the Finance Minister at the time, to quit.
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